1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an integrated circuit for reading out sensor signals from an optoelectronic image sensor having groups of sensor elements arranged next to one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the publication IEDM, 1985, pages 436 through 439, and in particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2 therein, a circuit is disclosed for reading image sensor signals. Two groups of sensor elements each having 128 elements arranged linearly next to one another are provided. The 128 sensor elements of the first group are connected via switching transistors and data lines to an identical number of inputs of a read-out circuit, which is composed of a multiplexer. The 128 sensor elements of the second group are connected to the same multiplexer inputs via further switching transistors. The switching transistors are driven so that all sensor elements of the first group are connected through to the inputs of the multiplexer. Subsequently, all sensor elements of the second group are connected to the multiplexer inputs. The switching transistors are formed as thin-film transistors which are integrated with the sensor elements, the data lines, and the read out circuit on a common substrate. In the disclosed embodiment, a disadvantage is present in that a number of crossings of various data lines with one another occur which makes manufacture of the image sensor considerably more difficult. Furthermore, the data line crossings lead to the occurance of parasitic capacitances which greatly reduce the amplitudes of the read-out sensor signals, which in turn makes precise interpretation of the sensor signals considerably more difficult.